Garment press



J. C. LEDBETTER GARMENT PRESS Filed Nov. 16, 1925 INVENTOR Patented Nov.151927 I UNITED STATES "PATEN I OFF C JAMES CAMROD LEDBETTEB, OF NEW YOBK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE PROSPERITY comm, rim, or SYRACUSE, NEW YORK,A CORPORATION OF mew YORK.

GARMENT rnnss.

Application filed November 16, 1925.. Serial 1T0."69,235.

This invention relates to presses and more particularly to improvementsin press operatingmechanism useful for example in garment presses,ironing and laundry presses and the like.

An object of the invention is to produce an improved pressin machinewhich is comparatively small an compact in structural 1 arrangement tothe end that a weight balanc- 10 ing mechanism may be mounted on themside of the press frame thus improving the appearance of the pressingmachine and requiring less floor space therefor. p

A further object of the invention is to I produce a' pressing machinehaving improved press operating mechanism comprising relatively fewparts so as to reduce the cost of manufacture and simplify assemblyoperations. The accompanying drawing illustrates an embodiment of theinvention with the press jaws closed. The press is shown open in dottedlined position, partially diagrammatic '2 tration.

, Referring now more particularly tothe diagram or drawing f this tosimplify the illusforming ,a part 0 disclosure, there is shown a pressframe carrying the usual work table 11 which holds 30. the work on thetable to prevent it from accidentally getting into the operatingmechanism. The press frame supports a stationary buck 12 a ainst which amovable head 13 raises an lowers. The pressing members or jaws 12 and 13open up, as by lifting the head jaw 13 to receive the work which isspread uponthe buck 12 and the mechanism for raising and lowering thehead 13 is improvedin many respects over 0 pressing machines now in use.

A press lever comprises a long curved lever 15 pivoted at 16 on theframe 10 and the lever 15 moreparticularly consists of a lower verticalarm 17 and a forward horizontal arm 18 attached by a suitable springcompensating means 19, to the head 13. The press lever 15 is preferablyshaped to extend it vertically downwardly within the press frame 10 whenthe press is closed and when the press is open the. lower arm 17 of thetable 11 as indicated in dotte head-operatin handleismade on the for-jthe illustration being the press lever moves forwardl towards lines. A

ward end of t e lever arm 18 for the purpose of facilitating .closure ofthe ress in case the operator wishes to draw t e head down by hand.

A vertically mounted swing arm 20 stands' in the press frame with itslower. end pivotally connected to the frame by a pin 21 -and with itsupper end connected to the lower arm 17 of the presslever 15., Theconnection between the upper moving end of the swing arm 20 and thelower end of the press lever 15 consists of relatively movable means asfor example a pin 22 which is V fixed in the upper end of the swing arm20 and this pin floats in a slot 23 made in the 1 lower end of the presslever 14. The fact that the swing arm 20has its lower end pivotallyconnected to the arm and'the fact that the press lever 15 is pivotallymounted on the shaft 16 requires that some suitable mov- I ableconnection be employed to operatively hook up the two arms 17 and 20.The swing arm20 is employed for transmitting motion and power from apedal to be described to v the press lever 15 and is employed as well Ifor aiding incounterbalancing the press head.

A weight arm 25 is carried on the upper end of the swing arm 20 andprojects up wardly at an angle toward the front of the press. A weight26 is fixed on the weight arm. This weight arm tends to gravitatedownwardly thereby urging the swing arm 20 to moveclockwise thus tendingto lift the press jaw 13' and open the press. The function of the weight26 is to'balance the heavy 1 head 13 and this weight is placed under thepress within the frame out of the way to permit the machine to be madesmall and compact in size.

A press pedal with a foot piece 29 located down close to 28 has itsfront end equipped the floor while its rear end is pivoted near theupper endof the-"link 20 on the pin 30.

In this way the pedal 28 sets at an angle:

its lower pedal end 29 is close to the floor. The pedal end 29 undergoesa relatively short movement in opening and closing the press andtherefore an operator is not requiged 'to lift his foot high off thefloor to reach the pedal.

A kick-oil pedal embodies a link or arm 32 having one end pivoted at 33in the press frame and the other end pivoted at 34 to the main pedal 28.The link 32 is made in the form of a kick-off pedal and to this end apedal arm 35 is made integrally with the link 32 and extends forwardlyand to one side of the pedal 29. The kick-oil pedal 35 is made with afoot piece 36 which is depressed to produce an upward lift on the pedal28 to break the toggle structure 283 2 to initiate the press openingmotion. The pedal 28 to ether with the link 32 constitutes a toggle wich breaks upwardly as shown in dotted line diagram to allow the presshead 13 to open under the influence of the weight 26.

In the operation of this pressing machine, work is placed on the buck 12when the press stands in open dotted line position. The operator nowcloses thehead by hand or by foot power or by both. Light pressure onthe pedal 29 causes the link 32 to move downwardly from dotted lineposition to full line position shown in the drawing thereby causing thepivot point 34 to travel downwardly past a straight line defined betweenthe two pivot points 33 and 30 which is to? say that the toggle 2832locks by action of the pivot pin 34 having moved past the center line ofthe toggle. In other words the toggle comprising the ed'al 28 and link32 reaches overstraightene position to lock-the press closed undercompression.

In this way the press jaws remain closed tight under compressionand a eheld in that position by the locked toggle 2832 until such time as theoperatorste s upon the foot p ece 36 ofthe kick-off peditl to break theplvot point 34 upwardly past the aforesaid center line drawn between thetwo points 30 and.33 whereupon the press ispermitted to open.

A press is therefore produced which has operating means, i. e. pressopening and closinginstrumentalities which includes a pedal, 7

the link portion 28 of which, extends rear-- wardly and upwardly at anangle to connect with the swing arm 20 above its frame pivot 21, whilethe front end of the pedal is disosedin a low position convenient toones oot. The upper and rear end of. the pedal pivotally connects withthe swing link 20 at a point between its two pivot points 21 and 22. Anysuitable means, such as the link'or arm portion 32, swingablymounts thefront end of the main pedal link 28 in the frame, and'this means alsoincludes a kick-off or press openingpedal.

bination The two arms or links 17 and 20 form a toggle pivoted in theframe at 16 and 21 and the pedal 28 is connected therewith at some pointintermediate the said toggle pivots l6 and 21. Any suitablecounterbalance weight means, such as 2526, cooperates with the toggle17-20 to balance the opening and.

closing movement of the press.

. A sliding pivot means, such asa pin and slot connection 2223', isincluded in the press operating mechanism by which relative movement isattained between moving parts in order that one end of the press lever,say the arm 17, may perform the function of a toggle. This sliding pivotmeans maybe placed at any suitable point.

What I claim is:

1'. 'A pressing machine including a frame and comprising in combination,press jaws which open and close on the work'; a curved press leverpivotally carried substantially at its center on the frame, and havingits upper end disposed in a horizontal plane, and having its lower enddisposed in a vertical plane; one of the'aforesaid press jaws beinatpress lever, a swing arm having its lower end pivotally mounted on theframe, means connecting the upper end of the swing arm to the lower endof the press lever, a counterbalance weight mounted on the swing armunderneath the press aws, a pedal connected with the swing arm, andmeans mounting the pedal movably in the frame to open and close thepress.

2. A pressing machine including a frame and comprising in combination,press jaws which open and close on the work; a curved press leverpivotally carried substantially at its center on the frame, and havingits upper enddisposed in a horizontal plane, and having its lowerenddisposed in a vertical plane; one of the aforesaid press jaws beingattached to the upper horizontal end of the press jaw, a swin a'rmhaving its lower end pivotally mounted in the frame, means connectingthe upper end of the swing arm to the lower end of the press lever, apedal having one end thereof connected with the swing arm, and a kickoff device pivotally mounted in the frame and connected with the pedal.a

3. A pressing machine comprising in coma frame, cooperating press jawscarried thereby, a press lever pivoted in the frame and attached to onejaw to raise and lower it in relation to the other javfga ver-- ticalswing arm having its lower end pivotally mounted on the frame, meansconnect ng the upper end of the swing arm to the press to cause the uper end 4., A pressing machine comprising in c om cooperating press awsintegrally carried near the upperend of the swing arm and projectingforwardly inside the frame, a counter weight mounted on the weight arm,means connecting the upper end of the swing arm to the .presslever, andoperating means including a pedal connected to the swing arm and to theframe adapted of the swing arm to work' back an forth.

5. Apressing machine comprislng in combination, a frame, cooperatingpressing jaws, a press lever pivoted in the frame with its upper forwardend attached to one of the press jaws to open and close it, a verticalarm having its'lower the frame and its upper end connected to the rearand lower end of the press lever, a pedal including a foot iece disposed"at the front of the press and having said foot piece placed lowdownclose to the floor and having its rear end extending upwardly andconnected to the upper end of the vertical arm, a link having one endpivotally connected on the frame and its other end con nected with thepedal and forming a oggle therewith, and means and closing press jaw.

6. A-pressmg machine comprising in combination, a frame, cooperatingpressing jaws, a press lever pivoted in the frame with its forward endattached .to one of the press jaws to open and close it, a vertical armhaving its lower end pivotally attached to the to balance the openingframe and its upper end connected to the rear and lower end of the presslever,-a pedal 1ece disposed at the front including a foot having saidfoot piece of the press an placed low down close to the floor and havingits rear end extending upwardly and connected to the upper end of thevertical arm, a link having one end pivotally connected on the frame andits other end connected with the pedal and forming'a toggle therewith, aweight arm carried on the upper end ofthe vertical arm an directedupwardly toward the front of the machine, and

a weight mounted on the weight arm adapted to balance the movable pressjaws I 7 A pressing machine as defined in claim 6 furtherdistinguishedby a kick-off pedal carried with the end of the link andadapted to break the toggle and initiate the opening of the press. n

8. A pressing machine comprising incombination, a frame, cooperatingpress jaws, one of which is fixed in the frame and the other beingmovable; a curved press lever pivoted in the frame, and having its upperend pivotally attached to and "connected to the lower end operatingmeans operated b forward end attached -to the movable jaw, and its.lower end extending vertically downwardly by the frame; avertical swingarm having its lower end pivoted in the rear of the press frame, apin'and slot connecting together the swing arm and the lower end of thepress lever, a weight arm carried on the swing arm and extending towardthe front of the machine, a weight mounted on the weight arm and actingto urge said swing arm forwardly with a resulting tendency to lift themovable jaw, a treadle having its rear end operatively connected to thepress lever and swin arm, and means-movably supporting the front end ofthe pedal on the frame to cause the pedal to move rearwardly as it isdepressed.

9. A pressing machine comprising in combination, a frame, cooperatingpress jaws one of which is fixed in the frame and the other beingmovable; a curved press lever ivoted in the frame, and having its upperorward end attached to the movable jaw, and its lower end extendingvertically downwardly into the frame; a treadle placed angularly withinthe frame with its upper rear end pivotally cooperating with the presslever, a foot piece carried on the lower front end of thetreadle, meansmovably mounting the front end of the pedal in the frame to force thepedal rearwardly as the pedal is depressed, and a counterbalance weightmeans'pivotally connected with the frame lever,

10. A press comprising jaws and a frame, operating means carried withthe frame by which the press is opened and closed, the, means'including:a toggle emof the press bodying'links connected together at their ad- 1jacent ends, and the outer ends of said links being piyotally supportedon frame pivots, and including a sliding pivot connection; the, toggleto open and close the press,-an 11. A press comprising jaws and a frame,operating means carried with the frame by which the press is opened andclosed, the operating means including: a toggle embodymeans to work thetoggle.

ing links'connectedtogether at their adjacent ends, andthe outer ends ofsaid links belng pivotally supported on frame pivots, and including a,sliding pivot connection; means operated by the toggle to open and closethe press, and means to work the toggle including a pedal extending froma low posltion at the front of the press upwardly at an angletoward therear with its upper end pivotally connected withthe toggle between theframe pivots, and means movably mounting the pedal in the frame toimpart a rearward motion "to the pedal when it is depressed. a j

12. A press comprising jaws and a frame,

operating means carried with-the frame by v v l which the press isopened and closed, the operating means including: a verticaltoggleembodying links connected together at their adjacent ends, and theouter ends of said I 5. links being pivotally supported on frame pivots,and including a sliding pivot connection; means operated by the toggleto open and close the press, and means to work the toggle, and jawcounterbalance means including a weight arm carried with the verticaltoggle extending therefrom toward. the

front of the press, and a weight on the arm. In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature.

JAMES CAMROD LEDBETTER.

